Kim Kardashian has apologized for defending a blogger who made racist comments — but people think her apology is 'weak'

The INSIDER Summary:

Kim Kardashian West was criticized for defending beauty blogger Jeffree Star, and urging fans to stop bringing up racist comments he made in past videos, over Snapchat.

After receiving criticism from fans, Kardashian posted two videos on Snapchat apologizing.

"I really wanted to apologize [...] for defending a situation yesterday that I really didn't know enough about," she said. "I just feel a bit naive and I do want to really apologize for me feeling like I had the right to say 'get over it' in a situation that involves racism."

She added that she just wanted to remove "negativity" from her timeline.

When Star critiqued Kardashian's swatching skills, the reality star's fans retaliated by mentioning Star's comments in videos that he made 12 years ago. In response, Kardashian took to Snapchat on August 14 to thank Star for "being honest" about how she could improve her swatching, and urged her fans to "get off his a--" and to stop bringing up his controversial comments.

After her message sparked outrage on social media, Kardashian issued an apology to her fans on Snapchat on August 15.

"Hey guys, so I really wanted to apologize to you guys and my fans for defending a situation yesterday that I really didn't know enough about," she said. "I just feel a bit naive and I do want to really apologize for me feeling like I had the right to say 'get over it' in a situation that involves racism and I just don't really feel like I have the right to speak on that."

She added: "I really, really, really am sorry and I just, from the bottom of my heart, I was — and I've always been — about, just like, positivity and I've never been a negative person so my whole thing was like, 'hey guys I never want to see negativity in my timeline, in my mentions, let's just move forward, let's be positive and move past this,' and I realize I was a bit naive in saying that."

Here's the first of the two Snapchat videos:

In the second, she reiterated her earlier message: "I was just saying, let's get the negativity off my timeline but, you know, I'm sorry. So I really am sorry and I just want to move forward and be positive."

Kardashian had some strong words for fans in her first Snapchat video about Star on August 14.

"Guys, I see you being so petty, bringing up things in his past where he [...] was negative [...] but he's also apologized for those things and I get it's a serious deal if you say racial things, but I do believe in people changing, and people that apologize," she said. "I will give them the benefit of the doubt and accept that you know people change and move on."

She added: "I know better than anyone that I hate when people bring up my past or mistakes I've made in the past. So let him live."

The KKW Beauty founder shared another video soon after, urging her fans to stop being "negative."

"Everyone get off his a-- and let's not be so negative. We're all in this together, there's room for all of us. Love you, Jeffree," she said.

"And I want to make one last thing clear, I do not defend people that are racist and I am very against it. But if someone claims that they have changed, I would love to give them the benefit of the doubt, and I pray to God that they do change for the sake of my children and my friends," she said. "I do not support people that are racist. That's why I so appreciate that he apologized and was really honest about things he's said in the past. So just [...] don't bring it up anymore [...] People want to forget the negative things they do in the past and I do, too."

"And that's what makes you a spokes person [sic] for white privilege haha you'd rather brush off racism when your kids are black, rather than see 'negativity on your time line'. Girl, bye," another commenter wrote.

"Don't apologize for what you say. Either don't say it and if you do stand by it," someone else said. A separate user referenced Jeffree Star's video apology (below): "Her apology was as weak as his was," they wrote.

However, other people defended Kardashian and argued that her apology was sincere.

"Lmfao the internet is always soooo sensitive. She tells her fans to stop being negative in her twitter mentions and gets called a racist and then apologizes, and still has people offended. You can never win I guess," one person commented.

Another wrote: "I feel so bad for you! You can't even be yourself and have to apologize for every single thing! If everyone was on blast all the time everyone would be in trouble for something! I get because your [sic] in the public eye people want you to be straight lace [sic] ... but honestly if you had a camera in others face [sic] there would be a lot worst [sic] being said!"

Although Star hasn't commented on the controversy, he addressed the racist comments in his past videos in a 15-minute video apology that he posted to YouTube in June.

Here's an excerpt from the video:

"In these videos I say some really disgusting, vile, nasty, and embarrassing things. [...] Those videos were 12 years ago, and I look at them, and I see them resurfaced, and it just makes me sick to my stomach because I don't know who that person was [...] The person who said those horrible, vile things — that person was depressed, that person was just angry at the world, that person felt like they were not accepted, that person was seeking attention. [...] But does that make it okay? Absolutely not. I want to look everyone in the eyes and let you know that everything that you have seen is so, just, wrong. It's upsetting, it's nasty, it really makes me sick to my stomach because what I was saying is not what I represent. I think that racism is a very serious subject especially in today's world. I'm embarrassed as a person because that is not what I've ever stood for."

INSIDER contacted a representative for Jeffree Star for comment on its earlier coverage of the story, and had not heard back at the time of this post.